DEERHOOF
MONDAY, JUNE 28 • 9 PM
PYRAMID CABARET
Club Pass and Wristband venue
Individual show ticket: $15 adv./$18 door
By turns cuddly and chaotic, San Francisco’s Deerhoof mix noise, sugary melodies, and an experimental spirit into sweetly challenging and utterly distinctive music.
Their mid '90s debut saw them being branded “too noise for pop” and “too pop for noise.” But even as this combination eventually proved basic to the sound of contemporary indie rock, lifting the band out of obscurity in the process, Deerhoof has remained a genre unto themselves. From the cartoon surrealism of Milk Man (2004) or Friend Opportunity (2007) to the gritty realism of Apple O’ (2003) and Offend Maggie (2008), they have invented their own instantly recognizable way of writing, playing, and recording a song.
They are a study in contrasts. Vocalist/bassist Satomi Matsuzaki’s light, cool delivery and the laser-beam clarity of her melodies create a magical tension with her bandmates’ ragged power and hyperexpressivity. Underlying any seemingly mythic tendency in the lyrics is a very human concern with worldly love and friendship. And while they can pull out all the stops with some breathtaking songwriting, sophistication, and virtuosic sparkle, always present is an unpretentious Deerhoofian joy. Ultimately their only rule has been to throw away the rules. As successful as they’ve become, they are an inspiration to their ever-growing audience because they’ve stayed DIY, positive, and pure.
